OMB names four agencies as security LOB centers

The Office of Management and Budget today named four agencies to
provide services to certify and accredit computer systems to assist
agencies across government to fulfill federal information security
requirements.

As shared service centers, the agencies would
aim to conduct certification and accreditation (C&A) activities
more effectively than agencies currently do themselves because they
will deliver the services across multiple agencies using best practices
under the Information Systems Security Line of Business, said Karen
Evans, OMB’s administrator for e-government and information technology,
in a briefing with reporters.

The Federal Information
Security Management Act requires agencies to certify and accredit that
their computer systems are secure or that they are managing risk.

The
four agencies selected as shared service centers are: the Treasury
Department’s Bureau of Public Debt; the Interior Department’s National
Business Center; the Transportation Department’s Federal Aviation
Administration Enterprise Service Center, and the Justice Department.

The agencies have improved the analysis and assembling of the
documentation associated with certification and accreditation to
overcome some of the criticism by security experts that C&A is a
compliance exercise and doesn’t truly measure risk, Evans said.

OMB
said it established the security LOB, which the Homeland Security
Department manages, to promote improved, consistent and measurable
information security processes and controls across government and to
gain savings or cost-avoidance through reduced duplication and greater
economies of scale.

The security LOB already provides FISMA reporting services, in which
the Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department act as
shared service centers to evaluate the security capabilities of
customer agencies, Evans said.

Agencies also have produced
implementation plans for how they will move to shared service centers
for FISMA reporting, she said. OMB supports the careful approach that
agencies are taking when it comes to security and privacy to move to
the shared service centers, Evans said.

“We don’t want to
disrupt the way they are managing their information assurance/
information security program. What we want to do is enhance those,” she
said.

The Census Bureau hasn't established a time frame for its cloud computing plans, including testing for scalability, security, and privacy protection, as well as determining a budget for cloud services.

Thu, Jan 15, 2009

Obviously, someone is not reading the local newspapers: "WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- An audit of information security at the Department of Justice says that though the agency got an A-plus rating under federal standards, those measure only processes on paper and that, in reality, no one knows how secure computers in the department -- and, by extension, the rest of the federal government -- are.

The audit, by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine, also noted that the department "lacks effective methodologies . for maintaining an inventory of devices connected to the department's various (information technology) networks."

Wed, Jan 14, 2009

The Enterprise Service Center, within the Office of Regions and Center Operations located in Oklahoma City is recognized for following not only Clinger-Cohen but all NIST guidelines, especially for C&A and demonstrated this to OMB.It is obvious you have no first-hand knowledge of this organization or their qualifications to conduct C&A activities.

Tue, Jan 13, 2009

What??FAA to C&A...Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!They don't even come under the Clinger-Cohen Act nor does FAA test in an operational state. They use a NIST check list.OMG. FAA needs to be overhauled with their poor management and hidden agenda. Please look at this agency for curruption as well. Get them back under Title 5 and make them comply with other government agencies. They do not do this with C&A. This is down right scary.

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